FOOD NEWS
Why Adjuncts Are An Essential Part Of The Beer Brewing Process
By Betsy Parks
Most beers are made using four base ingredients – water, malt, yeast, and hops – but some are also made by adding extra grains and flavorings, known as adjuncts. Classifiable into mashable and kettle adjuncts, they may include rice, corn, wheat, and sugars, and they can change the flavor, mouthfeel, color, and clarity of a beer.
Mashable adjuncts may include starchy grains, such as rice, corn, oats, and rye, which must be soaked in warm water to convert their starches into fermentable sugars. Meanwhile, kettle adjuncts may include sugars, such as honey and Belgian “candi” syrup, or specialty grains that must be added during the boil to give beer specific flavors and colors.
A lot of beer styles rely on adjuncts to create distinctive characteristics. American pilsners use corn or rice for a highly fermentable wort with a clean, crisp taste, Belgian beers use sugars for higher alcohol levels or spices for unique flavors, English bitters use corn, and Germans use rye to make "Roggenbier."